Some species of wild animals move and organize themselves in groups, which are known by the term herd. Groups of animals form a community for three main reasons: by being united they defend themselves better against the threat of possible predators, their union allows them to optimize their search for food and by forming a group they are more effective in attack strategies.
Among the animals that live in herds we can highlight the following: elephants, lions, ants or wolves. All of them form a certain social structure and establish teamwork.
At present the number of wild herds has been significantly reduced throughout the planet, since extensive agriculture, poaching and forest clearing have been reducing the living space of many animal species.
The last herd of bison lives in Yellowstone Park
In the Yellowstone Nature Reserve there are about 5,000 bison divided into several herds. Their behavior is very different from bison that have been domesticated. These animals were on the verge of being exterminated at the end of the 19th century, when commercial and sport hunting and some epidemics drastically reduced the population until it was almost completely extinct.
The social structure of wolf packs
The wolves that form a group have a hierarchical organization and some “laws” that must be followed by all its members. The leader is normally the wolf that has emerged victorious in a fight. If the food is abundant, the members of the herd are united and there is no conflict between them. However, when food is scarce, wolves fight among themselves to determine who can feed first.
The groups of wolves are placed in a row and are distributed as follows. The first of the pack are the old or sick animals that set the rhythm of the group, otherwise they would lose contact with the other members (if they were attacked by other animals or by humans, the old or sick wolves would be the first to be attacked). sacrificed and thus the females and cubs could be saved). At the next level come the strongest wolves and they are the first to react to a surprise attack.
In the center of the group are the cubs and pregnant females.
In the rear some strong wolves are distributed with the intention of defending the group in the event that it was attacked from the rear.
The alpha male stands at the end of the pack and in this way controls all the movements of the group.
Photo: Fotolia – BRGFX
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